30 June 2006

Have you ever been in a situation where someone has treated you with incredible rudeness or disdain? Has it ever driven you to the point that you have considered making a formal complaint? I have!

This past Monday, Daniel and I scheduled a meeting with an air conditioning contractor who needed access to our house in order to give us an accurate quote and ascertain which system we will need. No problems there…the guy was wonderful! Best service I ever had….

We did, however, have a difficult time convincing the saleslady to open the house for us. Despite the fact that she had agreed to open the house earlier on in the week, on Monday she asked Daniel to cancel the meeting because she didn’t want to go outside in the rain. WTF?!? She wasn’t polite about it either…downright surly to be exact! She didn’t seem to care that the contactor was already on his way to meet us at the house!

Reluctantly, she opened the house for us. However, you could feel the anger and resentment coming off of her. To makes matters worse, the contractor was running five minutes behind schedule; this did not help her mood. At one point she actually stated, “If that damn guy is not here in five minutes, I’m out of here.” When he did show up, she pretty much pushed him down the stairs and told him to hurry up because she was extremely busy and had clients waiting for her back at the sales office. I know that she was lying because we could easily see that there were no cars parked outside the head office. Not to mention the fact, that there was already another person in the office to cover for her during the 10 minutes that she was with us.

This is not the first time we have had to deal with this woman’s incredible rudeness. Every time we call the sales centre to ask a question, she is always abrasive in her response. She always tries to make it come off as if we are greatly inconveniencing her. On occasion, I’ve even heard her yell at the other sales assistant who, coincidently, seems to have left the company.

I could go on and on about other instances that this woman has insulted us. This was pretty much the final straw for me. I wanted to tell her off then and there, however Dan suggested that it might be wiser to complain “after” we have moved into the house. Not a bad idea now that I think about it.

It boggles my mind that someone, especially a person working in customer service, could be so incredibly rude. After paying over $200,000 for a new home, you would think that she might feel inclined to be a little more helpful?!?

I am now writing a formal complaint to the company, informing them of the less-than-satisfactory dealings that we have had with this saleswoman. As first-time homeowners and potential future buyers, first impressions are very important! While our interaction with the actual developer has been positive, the sales aspect wasn’t so pleasant. I hope that the company takes my letter to heart. It should be concerned about who it employs as sales associates, as these are essentially the people responsible for ensuring that the company makes a profit.

On a more childish note, I had to contain myself as we left the house on Monday. It would have been so easy to push her off the sidewalk into the mud! I really do deserve a reward for that…

27 June 2006

I was listening to my usual Irish radio program at work today on RTE 2FM and heard a fascinating piece on redheads. My interest soon turned to horror, as I realized that I’m extremely biologically messed up!

Recent studies indicate that, in general, redheads are more sensitive to pain. According to a study conducted by the University of Louiseville, redheads require 20 % more anesthesia in preparation for medical procedures than blondes and brunettes. It was also projected that redheads require stronger pain killers following surgery.

Doctors speculate that the unusual link between hair color, pain, and anesthesia may be traced to a glitch hidden deep within redheads' genetic codes. Receptors for melanocyte-stimulating hormone, the hormone that tells cells to produce the skin and hair color pigment melanin, don't function normally in redheads. This is the reason why redheads tend to get sunburned easily. The same dysfunction may also indirectly stimulate a brain receptor that boosts pain sensitivity. Medically speaking…I’m a freak of nature.

Taking this issue to heart, I decided to do a bit of research myself to find out more quirky facts about redheads:

Redheads have the thickest hair, but have the smallest number of strands.

It was recorded that Witches needed the fat of a person with red hair when making poisons.

Redheads are slaves to their emotions: passionate disposition & short temper

Redheads have always been thought untrustworthy. As a 17th-century Frenchman observed, "Judas, it is said, was red-haired."

Bees sting redheads more readily

The Egyptians regarded the red hair as so unlucky that they had a ceremony in which they burned red-headed maidens alive to wipe out the tint

In France, to be redheaded is thought to be a fate so dire that some women have formed a Proud to be Red association.

Quite the list! All of a sudden I’m not feeling so good about my one “so-called” claim to beauty. How to sum me up: emotionally unstable, untrustworthy, unlucky, pain-filled, Witch bait. Awesome….just awesome!

Some scientists predict that redheads are a dying breed facing extinction. I’m starting to wonder if that’s such a bad thing. I’m pretty much a born looser.

Want to know the best part??? I’m marrying a redhead! No extinction here. We plan to breed a small army of the unfortunate little buggers.

23 June 2006

I’m in one of those dorky, smiley good moods today. The sun is shining, the temperature is gorgeous, and I’m looking forward to an enjoyable weekend.

Not too much on the plate over the next few days - birthday shopping for Daniel tonight and a small celebration with friends tomorrow at one of our local pubs. Thank the Good Lord for birthdays…looks like we’ll end up getting a few extras that we need for the house. Once again I am amazed by the generosity of family. Maybe a lawn mower, BBQ and microwave aren’t exciting to most folks, but we’re pretty ecstatic!

My parents’ basement looks like the aftermath of a tornado. There are boxes and random items strewn about everywhere. Originally, Dan and I packed everything into boxes, but any additional purchases have been thrown wherever they will fit. I’m starting to wonder whether we would have been better off just buying things after the move. Oh well, looks like we’ll be able to setup home right away! Even then, I’m sure we’ll move in and still find that we’re missing things. I have an inkling that we’ll be saying things like, “Crap…we don’t have a hose to water the new lawn!” or “Honey, where’s the garbage can?”

On Sunday, I am going to continue my quest to get ride of the 25 years worth of garbage that I have accumulated. I am bound and determined to toss all junk and prevent myself from brining superfluous items into the house. I’m a pretty good organizer and binge cleaner, so the task shouldn’t be too hard. Hubby-to-be, however, is a notorious packrat. I wish him luck with his cleaning!

My mother always told me to choose my battles carefully, but I cannot relinquish my hatred for clutter! I’ve already told Dan that I will wring his neck if I see boxes upon boxes of old computer junk enter the house. He is still trying to convince me that old systems are considered vintage and are thus cool. Somehow, I just do see the purpose or aesthetic value of having an old Commodore on display.

19 June 2006

This past weekend was nothing short of amusing! I decided to bite the bullet and book a makeup trial for the wedding. I’m usually pretty comfortable doing my own makeup, but I figured, “Why not? Let’s see if someone else can do any better.” As it turns out, maybe I should go business…

After 30 minutes of sitting on display at one of the makeup counters at the Bay, I wasn’t very pleased when I looked at myself in the mirror. Scary, that was the only way to describe it. Despite the fact that I had told the woman that I do not enjoy layers of pancake makeup or foundation, she decided to cover up my almost-flawless complexion anyways. I guess that freckles aren’t cool?!?

I had to suppress a laugh when the woman started bragging about her application skills. It took a ton of willpower to keep a straight face when she showed me the mirror. My eye shadow was barely visibly, except for a random mauve smudge in the corners and mascara smears under the eye. What was truly terrible, however, was the blotchy and super shiny tint to my face...almost like a scary Oompa-Loompa on crack (Will Wonka reference there..fyi)

I could tell that Daniel also had the same terrified reaction when he walked into the store.Both of us really should get into acting! The performnace was deserving of an Oscar.

Luckily, all the trial cost me was a small purchase - $18 for an eyebrow pencil that I needed anyways. When the woman at the counter asked me if I would like to schedule an appointment for the wedding day, I told her I would call her if interested. She may not get my business for the wedding…but I am considering her services for Halloween.

16 June 2006

Daniel and I move out in exactly 28 days. As you can imagine, things are starting to get pretty hectic. It seems like every spare minute we have these days is spent running around collecting and sorting out various odds and end. We’re really into the nitty-gritty now – appointments with lawyers, mortgage and insurance brokers. Definitely not fun, but we’re finally starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Wedding plans have also kicked into high gear. Last weekend mom and I went to Loblaws to pick out the flowers. Neither of us knows anything about flowers (except for killing them) so the appointment took two full hours! In the end, I’m still not 100% sure what I ended up picking. To be honest, I just wanted the florist to tell me what to choose. Both mom and I are highly indecisive, so the whole experience was pretty brutal.

As the wedding draws nearer, I’m starting to realize that maybe I was a little too ambitious about craft projects. I originally thought I would be making my own centerpieces, table #s, seating charts, and invites. Now I find myself willingly shelling out money so that I won’t have to deal with any of this. I’ve abandoned overly ambitious plans and have now opted to simplify everything. I’ve quickly discovered that I neither have the time nor the patience to become Martha Stewart. Very pleased with the general look of everything now!

Daniel and really impressed me over the past few months. He’s taken the lead on many of the little house details so that I can focus on wedding stuff. He even helped package and seal the invitations last weekend. I have a newfound hatred for writing addresses. In the course of one weekend, I spent roughly 4 hours writing on envelopes. By 2:30 am on Saturday, we were both a little delirious…the fact that we had been licking that nasty envelope glue for a few hours might not have helped either….

This weekend is looking like it might be a little more fun. We’ll probably do our typical running around, but at least it’s not a full agenda. Tonight my best friend is taking me out to Le Nordik Spa. For those who have never been, it’s a Scandinavian spa complete with steam sauna, dry sauna, and hot/cold outdoors baths. It’s a really funky little place in the Gatineau Hills – très chi-chi! Last time we were there was in February; it was totally surreal to sit outside in a bathing suite while we were surrounded by snow. I don’t imagine it will be quite as “magical” this time, although I’m sure it will look pretty when night falls. I have a nagging suspicion that I’m going to come home with 100 mosquito bites.